Sam before adulthood
by Casualty-mad
Summary: Sam and Tom meet via Sam's brother Dan, he and Tom are army buddies but when sam's parents dissapear they have no where to go to but Tom's. Sorry I'm bad at summaries but I hope you like the story


Hi, not sure how I can carry this on speal ease give mesome ideas and pleaseeeee review

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Samantha Nicholls stepped out of the house and squinted against the glare of the mid-day sun. She sighed and wrapped her arms around her body comforting herself , this had become a regular occurrence over the past two weeks. Two weeks. Two weeks since her parents had abandoned her, leaving behind no explanation for their disappearance; two weeks since her life had been upended and ripped apart like some cruel joke; two weeks since her world had come crumbling down around her without the slightest warning. She felt like one of those little figurines within the snow globe that her father had gotten last Christmas whose entire world was turned upside down for someone else's amusement-and then shaken up a bit for good measure.

Daniel came out of the house and dropped a large cardboard box down on the cold floor next to his sister. Sam turned to face him and smiled lightly but said nothing. They stood like this , in silence, for a few moments then dan spoke 'well, that's everything'. It certainly was, all of their special belongings had been packed up and put in one car. Sam turned and looked at him , a sad smile appeared on her face and she quickly turned back towards the house.

She closed her eyes tightly hoping to open them to find herself sat in the living room around the fire with her mum , her dad , Daniel and her all laughing and smiling. She took in a deep breath then opened her eyes to see the brick house behind her. She didn't know what she was suppose to feel, so let emotions take over her body. Memories flooded her mind some were old and some were painfully fresh. Her mother baking cookies whilst she was was trying to run off with the bowl and lick the contents of it with dan close on her heels; the time when dan was leaving to be deployed and they were all standing at the front door sobbing and telling him to stay safe, that was a recent one , only about 2 years back. The memories of her father reading her a night time story then kissing her forehead and wishing her a good nights sleep; that wonderful white Christmas they had only a few years back with the huge snowball fights and a great Christmas dinner. All those times when she cried and her mum was there. Only now her mother wasn't there to wipe the tears and her father wasn't there to cheer her up. She closed her eyes then slowly opened them again, Sam took one last look at the house she had called a home for as long as she could remember. Determined not to let the tears fall, she stared straight ahead and squared her jaw, making a silent vow to herself-she was never coming back. A gentle hand came up to rest upon her back. 'C'mon, Sam. It's time to go.' it was indeed time to go, time to leave those wonderful memories behind.

The drive took about an hour, they were going to stay with one of Dan's army buddies. Sam had slowly drifted off to sleep within the first 10 minutes and was woken up by dan when they got there. 'hey Sam , we're here' he said simply. 'mum?' Sam asked hoping it to be true. 'no Sam , it's me dan' he said trying not to sound disappointed. She slowly woke up and got out the car, the house was big and had a lot of character**. This was to be her home for the time being, her home shared with her brother , his friend and her 15 year old self. They made their way up to the door but dan stopped when he noticed someone by the car just in front of the garage. 'hey man' he spoke 'alright dan?' the voice asked 'yeah I'm good. Sam hadn't seen who he was speaking to until a man around the same age as dan walked around the corner , he was quite tall and very good looking she noted. 'hey , you must be Samantha? I'm Tom ' he said offering his hand to shake. 'hi and yeah call me Sam' she smiled then shook his hand, as she did this she felt a huge rush of energy overcome her body. 'Urmm right , come in then I suppose' Tom stuttered after also feeling the same sensation as Sam. They followed him into the house, it had a lot of character and was quite modern after the tour and settling in they sat down for dinner which Tom had made for them all. **

**The boys had talked and laughed, and Sam reflected happily that this was the first time she had seen Dan so relaxed since their parents had left. Tom was friendly and personable, and while he managed to include her in the conversation over dinner, asking questions about school and embarrassing stories she remembered from her childhood with Dan, he never pushed her to reveal too much about herself. She decided she liked him. Tom got up and took the plates with him to the kitchen and told Sam and dan to go and watch the tv because they must have been exhausted from the days events. Dan went to watch tv but Sam went into the kitchen and picked up a tea towel and started drying the plates Tom had washed and put on the draining board. 'oh thanks' he said whist giving her a smile. **

**'no problem' she replied. That night Sam and Tom watched a movie marathon until 5am and luckily neither of the had anything to do the next day, they both fell asleep on the sofa somehow with Sam in tom's arms. This started to happen more and more often, Sam was 15 and Tom 19 but they didn't mind, it was good company. **

**Two years later, things were going better than Sam could have imagined. She and the boys had settled into a comfortable routine together, and their rhythm was hardly disturbed when Dan got deployed again. For his part, Tom was always on active duty, but he was called in less frequently and for more specific missions-which he was never allowed to talk about as a army medic. Samantha wasn't sure she wanted to know the details, either way. She only cared that he always came home in one piece, even if sometimes it took him a while to get back to his old self again, as if the weight on his shoulders was too great to be lifted. Sam remembered that Dan had been that way, too, when he came home from being deployed overseas, but there was a sadness in Tom that seemed deeper and more profound, making it almost impossible to get through to him. Sam was the only one who managed to see past that seemingly affable exterior to the masked the pain and tumult within, just as Tom was the only one to breach her barrier of stony detachment. The walls she had put up around her heart after her parents' disappearance in an effort to protect herself from the inevitable heartache and pain of abandonment could offer no resistance in the face of one Tom Kent; but instead of leaving her vulnerable and defenceless, being around Tom made her feel hopeful, and in a word, happy. All in all, the little surrogate family they had formed had reinforced Sam's belief in the words Tom had spoken to her on the day they first met-there was more than one kind of family. The only time there had been any talk of bringing about a change their living situation was when an estranged aunt had visited from North Carolina, soon after she heard of their parents' disappearance. She had offered to take in Sam atleast until she was done with school, but neither of the two siblings had been keen on the idea, and Tom had positively balked at the fact that Dan would even consider it when his friend had brought it up later in private. While money was not an issue-their parents had left them a small fortune (in fact, it was an unusually large sum to have been accumulated by a school teacher and a librarian alone) Dan was concerned that his sister needed an older, female presence in her life. Tom had convinced him that Samantha was just fine where she was, and since then he and Sammy -the nickname had stuck-had grown steadily closer, building on that connection they had shared right from the start that was unlike anything either of them had ever known. Tom was caring and protective-to the point of being overbearing-and had it been anyone else, Sam would have found the constant coddling unacceptable. With Tom, though, she had come to accept it-enjoy it, even. (Ofcourse, she would never admit that to anyone). Tom, in turn, dealt with any unwelcome onslaught of non-brotherly feelings towards her by dating a slew of women. During one particularly bad phase, he had even picked things up with an old high school sweetheart of his. Ofcourse, he regretted the desperate move soon after, especially because he genuinely valued her friendship. When he had ended the brief affair, his first thought had been that she might get along well with Sam, and he hoped he hadn't screwed up their relationship for good. The fact that that was the only thing that crossed his mind reaffirmed his belief that it was the right thing to do. If he had given the matter much further thought, ofcourse, he would have felt incredibly guilty at the other implications that came with that sentiment-as it was, he chose to ignore them or simply didn't take notice. Tom had always found it easy to get women-his army buddies would attest admiringly (and grudgingly) that they were throwing themselves at him all the time, even if Tom would object to the phrasing-but he prided himself on never being the kind of guy who would use a woman. Truth be told, that was exactly what he had turned into, albeit subconsciously. Thankfully, he was too focused on his relationship-or non-relationship-with Sam to even notice or care. If he had done a little soul-searching and been forced to face the unpleasant reality of what he had become, he may not have been able to handle the guilt that was sure to follow. Already he was beginning to doubt the man he had turned into, disillusioned by the horrors he had witnessed, and weighted down by the burdens of the lives he'd taken. If it wasn't for Sam-her unwavering support, her unquestioning loyalty, her faith in him, and just the fact of her-he would have fallen apart completely. Samantha, for her part, buried herself in books and schoolwork, leaving no time to entertain distractions like boys, for which Tom-and Dan-were eternally grateful. By the time Sam was nearing seventeen, things were going smoothly enough at school getting the correct qualifications to become a doctor that Dan decided to enlist again, trusting that his (no longer so) little sister could take care of herself-and where she couldn't, Tom would step in to help. This time when Dan tentatively-and half-heartedly-revisited the idea that Sam could live with her aunt for a while in his absence, Tom went into a mild panic. If he was being honest with himself-and he seldom was, anymore-he would have admitted that as much as he loved his friend, it wasn't the idea of Dan not being around that he found so disturbing-but not having Samantha in his life was beyond unacceptable. In fact, after the suggestion-if that's what it had been-was discarded, and Dan left home once more, Tom took one look at the expression on Sam's face and seriously entertained the idea of ripping his friend apart limb from limb. Sam didn't go to her aunts but stayed at home with Tom. She thought about that, she called It home, at first she didn't but then it did become more and more like a home to her, like she had a real family once again. **

**6 or 7 months later: **

**Sam walked out of her science lesson with a small smile on her face. The class had been most enjoyable, and the professor, Michael Stires, seemed to recognise and admire her intellectual abilities, instead of feeling threatened by them as her teachers in school had been. She was reflecting on the interesting lecture they had just had on lymphatic cancer when a voice interrupted her thoughts.**

**'Sweetie!'**

**Sam smiled. In the last few months, Linda Andrews had become like the sister she had never known. Temperance never had many friends growing up, and after she and Dan moved in with Tom, all her attention was divided between the boys and her schoolwork.**

**'Hey, Linda'**

**'So…how was the class with the hunky professor?'**

**'Stimulating.' Catching Linda's wicked grin ' I mean the work!' she laughed **

**Samantha stopped walking to transfer some books into her rucksack, attempting to put off the inevitable lecture on 'having fun' that was headed her way. She greatly enjoyed Linda's company, but her persistent nagging could be quite frustrating. Unfazed, the art student came to stand in front of her, large portfolio clutched protectively against her chest and foot tapping impatiently. Brennan looked up again with a sigh 'Lindz, I'm not here to get with teachers, I know you didn't want to miss science but had your art exam-'**

**She trailed off as her gaze landed on the person standing a few feet behind Linda. 'Sam?' She looked like she had seen a ghost. Or an as yet undiscovered eighth wonder of the world. Or something. Linda regarded her friend worriedly, before turning to see what had captured her attention, and her jaw went slack. When her ability to form a coherent thought returned, she decided she had come much closer to the mark with the second one. Or the third. If Sam had had eyes for anyone else but the man standing a few feet away from her in that moment, she would have laughed. Every single female face in the corridor-and a few others, too-wore an identical expression to that of her best friend's. The object of their attention, however, seemed to be focused only on the young woman currently gaping at him like she couldn't quite believe he was there. 'Miss me, Sammy?' Leaning negligently against the lockers, looking too damned good for his own damned good, was one Tom Kent who had just arrived back from Afghanistan. Just like that, the moment was over, and they abandoned their staring competition and closed the distance between them.**

**Tom couldn't believe it was really happening until she was in his arms. None of his fantasies could feel that good. It had been so long-too long-since he'd seen her, too long since he'd held her, and now she was pressed against him, her curves (where had those come from?) molded perfectly against his tall, muscular frame. He never wanted to let her go. 'Sammy.' The word came out softly, reverentially, just as she murmured 'Tommy'. He pulled back just for a moment to look at her. Their eyes met, and he didn't think he'd ever wanted anything more badly than he wanted to kiss her right then. Instead, he simply drew her closer and breathed, 'God, baby, I've missed you'. Burying his face in her hair, he inhaled deeply. Oh Sweet Lord. He nuzzled her hair and at the sound of his voice right at her ear Sam shuddered and pressed impossibly closer to him.**

**They pulled away only slightly and Tom was momentarily distracted by Sam's brilliant smile and her eyes-oh, God, those eyes had haunted every single one of his dreams for the past seven months-before a new emotion flashed in them and she began to pound her fists none too gently against his chest. 'Ow! Jesus, Sam , what the hell?' Tom recovered and grabbed her hands in his, yanking her against him. For a minute they just stared at each other as she stood there, fuming silently, her chest heaving and her cheeks flushed. She blew a wayward lock of hair from her face, and all Tom could really think was that she looked adorable when she was pissed. He wisely decided not to voice that sentiment, however, and instead looked at her appraisingly and raised a perfect eyebrow. 'If I let you go now, will you behave?' Samantha said nothing and just stared at him defiantly. He released her slowly, and she promptly started hitting him again. 'You' punch 'were supposed' punch 'to be home' punch 'two weeks ago.' Punch punch. 'Have you any idea how worried I was? And I-I called Dan, and he said he didn't-didn't know where you were, and-and you said…' She was now almost hysterical, and Tom pulled her tighter against his chest, effectively trapping her in his arms as she attempted to wriggle out of his grasp. 'Hey, hey. Shh.' He soothed. 'It's okay. It's okay. I got you, baby.' After she had calmed down a little, he pulled back and gently wiped the tears from her face. 'Sammy, I'm really sorry. I tried to call, I did, but you know how hard it is to get to a phone someti-' Samantha gave him a watery smile and placed her hand on her lips to shut him up, disliking the guilty, worried expression on his face, and hating herself for putting it there. ''Sfine, Tommy'. She was still sniffling softly, though, and it about broke his heart. Tom just sighed, and wrapped her in an embrace once more.**

**Ofcourse, both of them remained oblivious to the stares they were receiving, and most passers by had long since resumed going about their lives, leaving behind only a few stragglers discretely ogling Tom-and Linda, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat. She had followed the whole exchange with rapt attention, only looking away occasionally because while they had been disgustingly appropriate, witnessing the intimacy and tenderness with which the two regarded each other made her feel like a voyeur. 'Sam' she walked over and placed her hand on sam's shoulder. 'yeah?' she asked not really lying much attention**

**'who is this?' she asked trying to get Sam to speak to her. 'oh right yeah sorry, this is tom Kent , tom this is Limda Andrews my best friend', they both said hello to each other The Tom turned to face Sam 'are you coming back to the house?' he asked her trying not to sound hopeful. Linda spoke before Sam could 'oh Sam , is this why none of the boys on campus could get a second look in?' Sam looked at her confused 'no , why would it be?' she asked then realised that Tom had his hands on her waist and she had her hands on his chest. Tom spoke 'we're not together!' he announced then let go of Sam who then stepped back then explained to Linda 'we only live together! Dan and I moved in with Tom when I was 14, I told you all of this!' Linda looked at her stunned and pulled Sam away quickly 'yeah but you didn't tell me he was that good looking!' this caused Sam to laugh then walk back over to Tom who quickly blurted out 'you are coming home, aren't you?' Sam looked at him shocked then stepped forward and hugged him , he too wrapped his arms around her 'of course I am tommy' she laughed a bit, Tom gave her forehead a kiss then replied 'good, I've missed you whilst I've been away!' **


End file.
